Some conventional Ethernet network systems support optional Forward Error Correction (FEC) protocols as an additional measure of packet integrity, which may be useful on channels having marginal quality. FEC protocols are processor intensive, and enabling FEC protocols typically degrades system performance, latency and increase the overall power demand of a network node. In the conventional Ethernet approach, FEC protocols are enabled during an auto-negotiation period between link partners. However, the auto-negotiation period is typically agnostic to the actual quality of the channels between link partners. Instead, channel quality is measured during a link training sequence, which is performed after the auto-negotiation period. Thus, the conventional approach may inappropriately enable FEC (or an FEC mode) on a network segment (two or more network nodes), even if the communication channel is later determined to be of sufficient quality to support a given link speed without FEC protocols enabled. Thus, enabling FEC protocols in conventional Ethernet network systems may unnecessarily degrade system performance and latency and increase the overall power demand of the network segment.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.